Yoga With Graeme Lockett

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Whangarei Fritter Festival

Glenbervie School has been hosting yoga classes in its fantastic hall for many years now. The Yoga lessons are primarily targeted at beginners but over the years the regulars have advanced and classes are taught at a variety of levels.

The classes mainly consist of postures (Asana) but the important aspects of Patanjali’s teachings tend to find their way into the lessons.

The class numbers tend to rise and fall with lunar cycles, weather conditions, financial circumstances and the busy nature of life. Students benefit most by attending regularly, but come when they can.

Glenbervie School kindly donates the hall for these yoga lessons at no cost as a service to the wider Glenbervie community. The hall is spacious, light and breezy in the Summer months and toasty warm in the Winter months, thanks to the school's awesome air conditioning system.

The yoga class operates slightly differently to most yoga classes in town. This year saw the introduction of a ‘pay it forward’ scheme. Instead of paying the tutor directly for the yoga lessons, he prefers that you pay the fee forward.

It is a simple concept in which you pay your thanks for someone’s services forward to someone else, expecting no thanks in return. The payment possibilities are endless.

You might like to donate the standard cost of a yoga class to a charity of your choice. If money is tight, you can find other ways to pay it forward. Donate the excess fruit from your trees to those in need, donate books to schools, de-clutter your house and donate it to charities. We all have something to offer, the gift doesn’t need to be a material object either, we all have our own talents and skills that we can pass on to others.

The concept is proving very interesting. Clothing underprivileged families, funding schools trips for those students who cannot normally afford to go, charity donations and free sailing trips are just some of the shared stories so far.

It is really important to stress that the yoga lessons are not free, you must pay it forward; how you pay is your decision and you are under no obligation to declare your contribution. It would be easy to come along and treat the classes as a freebie, and not pay it forward, but then you would be missing the point of yoga completely.

The goal is not to compete with, or undercut other commercial yoga studios in town; I simply want to practise some of the other aspects of yoga and make the community a better place and thanks to the kind donation of Glenbervie School, this is now possible.

Will you join me?

Note: Expectant mothers by prior appointment. Yoga mats, blankets, blocks and belts are available, however, students are encouraged to supply their own mats and blankets.